


The Slip-Up of '84

by vroomlucas



Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:14:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26490007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vroomlucas/pseuds/vroomlucas
Summary: William Afton's first experience with a springlock failure.
Kudos: 33





	The Slip-Up of '84

March 8th, 1984

A fine Thursday it was. Fredbear's Family Diner was open all throughout the week, but the calmer weekdays allowed the two founders to wear the mascot suits and perform as the golden duo. The stage lights shone through the mesh eyes, forcing the man inside the Springbonnie mascot suit, William Afton, to squint. It was a common occurrence, and never became less of a nuisance over time. The glare made it more difficult to manage the blind spots, which happened to be one of the most important aspects to wearing a springlock suit. Both the mascots could be swapped between an animatronic and a wearable suit, though the precautions to wearing one were too many to name.

Henry, or Fredbear, currently, was finishing up the last song in their routine before they'd begin their dance. The man had always had a talent for singing, his voice comparable to Johnny Cash, though he tweaked it a bit when playing the role of Fredbear. William would almost always find himself admiring Henry at the most inopportune times, one of those times being right now. The bloke was so lost in his thoughts that it completely slipped his mind to step farther back onto the stage to allow more room for their dance. A lovely acoustic rendition of Swan Lake began playing on the speakers hidden within the stage, and with it came the cue to start their routine.

One foot back, arm forward, then to the side. William had always been a bit more graceful when wearing the suit, though perhaps it came with Springbonnie being lighter than Fredbear. A slow spin to match the pacing of the gentle guitar, then switching positions before turning to take their place back in their starting location. Two steps forward, both arms up. William moved his foot, expecting to place it down on the stage again, only to find there was nothing but air where the wooden flooring should be. Adrenaline shot through him as his body lurched forward, the weight of the suit making it impossible to recover from this fall.

He fell to the floor with a dull thud, drawing a shocked gasp from the crowd that had gathered to watch their performance and putting a halt to the dance. The man was stunned, the exposed bits of skin bumping against the sharp metal inside the suit. Then came the ominous creeeaaak, and it hit William that he was in immense amounts of danger. Before he could do anything else, his priority was to pop the head of the suit off. That was step one of the protocol, should a springlock failure occur. He strained his arm to reach behind the head, pressing a switch that disconnected it from the body, putting all his force into removing the bunny's head and sending it rolling across the floor.

William called out for Henry's help. He wouldn't be able to get up and go to the office like he was supposed to. Next step, reaching back and unclasping the torso. Just as he was about to do that, however, he heard several metal ticks. Oh no. He barely had a chance to register the springlocks releasing, allowing the machinery inside the suit a chance to return to its original state. The metal dug into his skin, driving itself through the layer of fat and breaking into his muscle. William's mouth gaped open as he did all he could to funnel the pain into a scream. The machinery sliced its way into his arms, his legs, his waist. It pierced his throat, disrupting his cry and forcing him into silence, blood gurgling up into his mouth and spilling out onto the floor.

Henry shouted at one of their floormen to call for an ambulance, having already removed himself from the Fredbear suit upon realizing William fell. He jumped off of the stage and rushed to his partner's side, taking a spare crank from a pocket within his spandex undersuit and clicking it into place. William could feel everything. The sharp steel prodding into his organs, shifting into place against his bones. A cough squeezed between the metal surrounding his throat, only allowing more blood a chance to spray. The skeleton had worked its way into his lungs, filling them with blood. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't breathe at all. His face was barely even capable of expressing the amount of pain he was in, only able to hold an empty, wide-eyed stare as blood gushed from between his lips and from his nostrils.

The man's vision was forming a vignette, his ears ringing and making it nearly impossible to hear Henry, who had finally gotten the crank to turn. The mechanical skeleton began to retract, tearing William from the inside out. Kids and parents alike were screaming and rushing around in a panic. The tangy, bitter smell of his blood filled the commonplace of the diner. He'd gone into shock, his body finally succumbing to unconsciousness.


End file.
